Social Media Marketing: Quick Tips & Tricks

According to Digital 2021, there are now an estimated 4.20 billion social media users globally. This is almost 54% of the population! For this reason, it's important that businesses are using social media marketing because there is a good chance their target audience is going to be on there.

If your business is just getting started, you may not want to hire a social media manager just yet. Below are some quick tips and tricks for people just getting started with social media marketing. These tips will make the process a lot easier!

1. Use a scheduling tool

My first tip and probably the most important tip is to use a social media scheduling tool. A social media scheduling tool is an automation tool that helps you schedule social media posts for multiple social media accounts ahead of time. Set a few hours aside every week, where you will create all your social media posts and schedule them for the following week. You can't be active on social media all the time, so using a social media scheduler helps you be proactive.

Some of these tools are free and some you will need to pay a small monthly fee for. But most of them allow you to get a free trial before you pay. Meaning you can test the app out beforehand to make sure it is right for you. I have listed some below:

• ContentCal

• Later

• Falcon

• Loomly

• HootSuite

• NapoleonCat

• Buffer

• Zoho Social

2. Focus on one or two platforms

The last thing you want to do when you’re just starting out is trying to post on every social media platform out there. For two reasons, one, you won’t be able to keep up with it, and two, you won’t use each of the platforms to the best of your ability. The best thing to do is do some market research first. Find out which social media channels your audience is using the most and which platforms your competitors are on.

Once you’ve found the information you need, start by downloading one platform and posting on that for a while. If that's not too much hard work, then download one more. But post consistent, engaging content on both.

3. Use Canva

Use Canva to create social media posts. Canva is a free graphic design platform that's great for making invitations, business cards, social media posts, and more, using professionally designed templates. The pro (paid) version gives you access to even more templates and tools, but you don't need it. Canva allows you to create designs, without being a graphic designer, anyone can use it!

4. 80/20 Rule

When creating content for social media, it is best to stick to the 80/20 rule. What I mean by this is, 80% of the time you should be posting content that will entertain, inform, or educate your audience. Only 20% of the time, should you post content to promote or sell your products/services. Most people use social media to relax and unwind, so they are not going to choose to follow accounts that write sales messages on every post they send out.

5. Engage

Last, but not least, engage on social media. In order to build relationships with potential clients, you need to be engaging with other people's content. Like, share, comment, and follow new accounts. In my personal experience, I am more likely to engage with other people's content, if they engage with mine, and vice versa. Schedule half an hour into your day, where you dedicate yourself to scrolling through social media and engaging.

I hope these tips and tricks were useful. Social media is a great way to promote your new business, but it can be scary when you first get started. There is a lot of information out there, but sometimes the best step you can take is to just start.